The Deadwood Tree & Miracle Leaves ofthe Forgotten
by Superdoopernaturally
Summary: Sam and Dean are led to an isolated town in the middle of nowhere, 8 disappearances  all claimed and accepted dead. Its more than disappearing acts, there's a link to their pasts and their lives may be in danger  though when is it not? M  Please R
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Don't own Supernatural, or the brothers unfortunately, I'd love to but don't think I have quite enough money to buy them… Kudos to Kripke's brilliance…

_**The Deadwood Tree and Miracle Leaves of the Forgotten…**_

_**Chapter One**_

Another day. Yet another stretch of abandoned highway. Making their way to yet another job defeating the usual demon of the week. When was it ever different?? When did they ever get a chance to relax in between jobs? There always seemed to be something going on in every place they stayed.

Dean drummed his fingers along the open window ledge to the '67 Chevy Impala to the beat of AC/DC's _High Voltage_. Sam lay back in the passenger seat, getting what little sleep he could, sleep not plagued by his usual nightmares. Dean started humming along to the music as well as drumming his fingers, letting his foot rest ever so casually upon the accelerator, the impala's speed boosting. Dean started singing at the top of his lungs, beating his hands upon the steering wheel along to the beat and shoved Sam into his passenger door. Sam grunted awake, a death stare shot in the direction of his older brother. Dean grinned in return.

"Mornin' Sunshine! We're nearly there, about a mile away from the next roadhouse and we can grab something to eat before we get to… where is it we're going again??"

Sam straightened his jacket and wiped the drool that had trickled down his chin while he was asleep. He looked exasperatedly at Dean.

"A town out in the middle of nowhere - a mile or so from Michigan."

"And what exactly are we doing there again??"

"Reports of mysterious disappearances."

"Ah."

"Mmm."

"Sleepin' Beauty get his… beauty sleep?"

"Yup."

"Gave yourself a wash while you were out."

"Shut up!"

Silence between the brothers descended for a moment in the impala, the only noise was the AC/DC tape filtering through.

"How far are we from this place?" Sam asked.

"Saw a sign back there saying it was the next exit."

**----**

The '67 Impala pulled up at the motel, the purr of the car killed as Dean switched his baby off. They clambered out of the car, around to the trunk and dragged out their duffel bags. With a click the trunk closed and they headed into the dilapidated motel building. Scuffing their feet across the foyer floor, Dean shoved his bag up onto the counter and gave the pretty little blonde behind the counter his award winning smile.

"Room for two please – Two Queens preferably..."

"Sure thang… Lemme just check."

The cute blonde shifted her legs, draping the right over the left, stuck her tongue just past her lips and concentrated on the computer screen in front of her. Dean couldn't help but get a good look at her. Sam elbowed Dean in the ribs. Dean gave Sam a reproving glare. Sam sighed exasperatedly.

He always did this. Every place they went to he would ALWAYS get a good look at the seemingly, every goddamn time, hot receptionists. It was almost the same everywhere they went. The blonde woman raised her head to meet Dean's face staring a little lower than her own. She shot him a glare and Dean shifted a little uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Room 21 – right side of the building. I'll just grab your keys."

She got up from her chair, peeling that right leg from her left and shimmied her way over to the wall that hung the keys to the motel. She grabbed a set and made her way back, shoving them into Dean's hands. Sam gave her a look that said: "I apologize for my douchebag of a brother…" She gave Sam a small smile and Sam dragged Dean out of the foyer.

"Why do you have to ogle every girl we come across??" Sam asked Dean.

"'Coz it's fun. You gotta have a little fun sometime Sammy; you're turning into the right grandfather figure."

**----**

Sam settled himself down at the motel table adorned with a doily styled table cloth. Dean had scrunched up his nose in protest to the room they were given. He paced the room, smirking at such a feminine room. He grabbed the curtains and threw them back in disgust. Everything was LACEY. Positively evil, Dean had to resist the urge to get Sammy out of the room so he could salt and burn the place.

Sam dragged the laptop out of his duffel bag and flipped it open. He waited for it to load before bringing up a search page. He tapped in the name of the town and started looking into the local history, ignoring Dean's pacing of the room and obvious disproval of the place. He clicked on a particular link and brought up the local newspaper's website.

"Oi… Check it out."

Sam motioned for his brother to join him at the table. Dean switched off the television, daytime soapies… always the same. He came up behind Sam and rested his hands on the back of Sam's chair, reading the screen over his shoulder. Sam spoke up.

"8 disappearances. All random pickings, all well known in the town. Thing is on here, it says they're dead. They're not even saying there's a possibility that they're missing yet still alive. How can you make that kind of assumption??"

**----**

Dean swung the door of the local diner open and walked through. Sam followed closely behind, making a silent promise to himself that if Dean started anything, he'd claim that he didn't know Dean at all. Revoke the brother title and save himself from embarrassment. Sam sighed.

Dean walked over to the counter and gave the brunette his award winning smile, just like he had done with the receptionist at the motel. She fluttered her eyelashes provocatively back and leant into the counter, pushing her chest out, much to Dean's approval. To make up for Dean's obvious lack of words, Sam elbowed his way into the picture and briefly smiled at the waitress.

"Hi – I'm Sam – this is my brother, Dean," Sam put a hand up to cover his face from Dean and whispered to the waitress, "He's a little… _slow_, forgive his handicap…"

Dean dug his elbow deep into Sam's ribs, Sam grunted in pain but kept his smile firmly stuck in place. The girl laughed.

"Can I possibly have a word?" Sam asked her, she nodded her head, un-looped the apron from around herself and motioned to one of the free tables in the diner. Sam gratefully sat down and gave Dean a last look, "You wanna go and colour in the table mat??" Dean threw him a glare before making his face go slack.

"Pshhhyyyeeeeaahhh, FUN!" Dean hammed it up. Sam shook his head.

"You're such a loving, caring brother to him!" The girl approved.

"Oh yeah… you know they say looking after ret- disabled people such as Dean is a hard job, I dunno, I just love 'im to bits."

"Awww!" The girl grinned.

"Can I ask you a question completely unrelated??"

"Sure, shoot." The girl gave him a beaming smile.

"Uhh… you know those people that went missing? Eight, I think was the count last… Who exactly were they?"

"Wow, you waste no time… Uhh… We can't exactly talk here – follow me."

She got up and motioned for Sam to join her, Sam went and stood behind Dean having fun with his table mat and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to be back in FIVE minutes Dean – don't go ANYWHERE, okay big brother??"

"M'okay! LOVE colour!" Dean exclaimed, knowing grin on his face. Dean chanced a punch to Sam's gut while the girl's back was turned, earning him a satisfied grunt. "You're SO going to get it when we get out of here." He whispered with menace.

**----**

They walked out of the diner, making sure their backs were turned. Dean made sure no-one was watching before falling back just a little bit. He waited until Sam was next to the impala before slamming him face first onto the hood. He grabbed Sam's arm and twisted it up his back, making Sam grunt in pain. He lowered his face next to Sam's and whispered into his ear.

"You EVER make me out to be disabled again; you will NOT live to see the next day… You hear me???"

Sam grunted. Dean twisted Sam's arm further up his back. Sam cried out in pain.

"OKAY!"

Dean let him get up a little bit before slamming Sam back down on the hood. He sauntered over to the driver's side, gave the girl in the window of the diner a small smile and wave and gunned the engine just as Sam opened the passenger door. Sam barely got into the car before Dean stepped on the accelerator and out of the car park. Sam grunted and shut the door, snapping his seat belt on before his brother sought to make him fly through the windshield. Dean spoke up.

"Next time, YOU play the handicapped kid."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Next time, pay attention to the JOB and not jugs! Job and Jugs sound and are spelt differently, Dean. Learn it."

"Hey! I'm just trying to have some fun!"

"Not when people's LIVES are at stake!"

"You're a killjoy."

"Thankyou."

"So what did you find out anyway??"

"She had pink and purple knickers…" Sam blurted before realizing.

"You asshole!" Dean exclaimed, punching Sam in the arm.

Sam laughed, "The eight people, all vary in age, all knew each other. All go missing in around the same spot. All were either walking to work, or to school, or… _walking_, all on the same stretch of road. Never turn up at their destinations. Oh and there's another thing. She said she heard from someone else that their friend had seen something really weird and wonderful."

"Weird and wonderful huh? What could be THAT good??"

"Said it was a tree… but the friend thought her friend was delusional, because she couldn't see it when the person who saw it in the first place took her to see."

"Sounds like a giant game of Chinese whispers…"

"Yeah, but worth checking out, she said someone died in that area…"

"Yeah, well check out on the laptop when we get back to the motel. Oh and, remember, you're dead."

"Sure, sure, Dean."

**----**

Sam clicked through the multitude of websites that came up in the search he'd typed into Google, before he found the town's website. He clicked on the link and brought up the new page. Scrolling down he found, "Interesting Facts". He clicked on it and read through the different things. Some were meaningless, some were indeed interesting but he wasn't interested. He sighed, nothing. He went back to the Google search and clicked on the next link. A local newspaper. One of the story lines beneath read, "MAN IN WOODS DEAD FROM HEART FAILURE". Who would be interested in a headline like that? Sam would be. He went to the article and began to read.

"Oi DEAN!"

Dean sauntered out of the bathroom, a towel slung around his waist, another in his hands palming his hair dry.

"What??"

Sam rolled his eyes, "Local reserve just off the road people disappeared from. That's where we find it."

"You sure we're gonna be able to even see this thing?? What if this friend of a friend of that chick I think you got to do because of my feigned disability is really delusional??"

Sam rolled his eyes again, "Better safe than sorry."

"Oh, you're not safe, but you're gonna be sorry when I find out just what you did with that chick."

The impala purred down the road and came to a slow stop outside a random, seemingly vacant building. The brothers stepped out of the car, Sam headed to the trunk and pulled out their duffel bags and Dean locked the doors. Snapping the trunk shut, they crossed the street and began walking alongside the wildlife reserve. Coming to a gate, they entered.

"So how do we know where this place is??" Dean asked.

"I dunno… but I asked Michaela that- "

"Oh so that's Miss Thing's name?? Huh???"

"Dean."

"Sam – don't mess with me, geez man."

"She said her friend said it was about a twenty minute walk into the reserve from the road."

"What did you do with her?? **Did** you do her??"

"I'm not talking about this with you."

"Why the hell not?! I have the right to know!"

Sam scoffed.

Dean huffed and pushed past Sam into the reserve, stepping over a fallen log.

Sam smirked at Dean's back and followed.

_Another 15 minutes later…_

"You think the thing exists??"

"I dunno – keep walking." Sam urged Dean on.

"What if it's all a joke??"

"Then I guess it's on us…"

"What if it's real??"

"Then we're just as delusional as that girl."

"What does any of this have to do with the eight missing people??"

"I dunno…"

"Great… I bet this _weird and wonderful magical tree_ doesn't even EXIST!"

"Dean, turn around."

"What?!"

"Turn around and take a look in front of you."

Dean turned around and came face to… well tree… with their search goal. They found it. It was magnificent. It exuded power of an unusual kind and was like nothing the brothers had ever seen in their lives thus far. The majestic tree stretched almost higher than they could see, its bark blackened and withered yet it didn't look one bit frail and vulnerable. Deep scores patterned the trunk of the tree and it seemingly twisted around itself. Its branches reached out like powerful arms in all directions, blocking out most of the now clouded over sky. A chill wind ripped through the area, settling itself deep within the brothers, making them shiver uncontrollably. There was something more to this tree.

Dean stepped forward and reached a hand out to touch the bark of the trunk. Sam grabbed his arm hastily and forced Dean back. Dean threw him a questioning look and Sam shook his head. Sam stretched his head back and looked up as far as he could. The clouds now overtaking the blue of the sky, the wind picking up speed and chill. Dean hugged his arms to his upper body as Sam continued to take in the sight of the tree. A voice whispered on the wind…

"_My boys… Oh my wonderful boys…"_

TBC…

A/N: So… What do you think?? Please Review!!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Don't own Supernatural, would love to, but… don't have the cash…

**_The Deadwood Tree and Miracle Leaves of the Forgotten_**

**_Chapter Two_**

"_My boys… Oh my wonderful boys…"_

The hair on the back of the brothers' necks stood on end. Sam had never properly heard that voice before, yet it was all too familiar for Dean. This was the voice that had soothed him at night when he was only little, recovering from a nightmare. This was the voice that called to him when dinner was ready. This was the voice that formed the words, "I love you." This was one of the first voices he had ever heard in his entire life. This was also the voice that told him every night before he went to sleep, that angels were watching over him. To hear it now is a shock to Dean's system.

"Mom?" He tentatively asked.

The wind whipped through the clearing and around the tree, making the boys shiver violently. The tree shook with the force of the wind. Dean had the feeling this tree should be frail and vulnerable to such winds, yet it stood its ground firmly.

"_I'm proud of you… both of you…"_

They both knew that voice. The deep gravelly voice echoed throughout the clearing, biting deep into the brothers. They'd heard that voice mere months ago. Sam had been the last to hear that voice. He'd stood by his bedside, he'd argued with him about Dean's condition. He'd argued about the Yellow Eyed Demon. That was also the voice when they were young that told Dean to look after Sammy, look out for Sammy, make sure Sammy doesn't get hurt. Shoot first, ask questions later. It was the voice that belonged to the man that gave Sam a .45 when Sam had told him he was scared of the monster under his bed. To hear that voice again…

"_Sammy! My Sam… I love you…"_

Sam's breath hitched in the back of his throat. He shut his eyes fast and had to question everything that was happening. This couldn't be real. That voice belonged to the one girl he had truly loved, the one girl he last saw pinned to their bedroom ceiling, surrounded by flame. Images washed over him, long gone memories of the woman he loved. So vivid he could almost feel her lips upon his own as he remembered them. Sam let out a breathy sigh,

"Jess…"

A rumbling sounded from beneath them, shaking the earth at their feet, growing louder and louder before a cacophony of whispers and forgotten words washed over the brothers. The tree almost _erupted_ with the force as millions upon millions of brilliantly white leaves grew rapidly from the tree's branches. They shimmered and glistened in the darkness of the overcast sky, illuminating the faces of two awestruck brothers, dazzled by the sheer brilliance before them.

The tree shook in its foundations, three lone leaves fell from the towering tree. Expecting them to fall to the ground as gracefully as any other regular leaf on a windy autumn day, Sam and Dean each took a step back as their parents and Sam's long gone girlfriend materialized before their very eyes. A white light grew in intensity around them, obscuring them from view as the brothers threw their arms over their faces against the bright white light.

The light dimmed as the wind died down to a mere breeze, though the whispers that had overtaken Sam and Dean's senses, increased in volume and force.

"_Angels are watching over you…"_

"_Take your brother outside! As fast as you can!"_

"_Love you Sammy…"_

"_Dean, watch out for Sammy…"_

"_I'm proud of you son…"_

Wave after wave crashed mercilessly into the Winchester boys, bringing them to their knees. The three people they loved the most edged closer. Mary Winchester reached a hand out to cup the side of Dean's face. Bringing his head up, she looked deep into his eyes and smiled warmly, as she always used to do. Triggering his memory, Dean smiled as tears welled in his eyes.

"Can this be real?" He asked.

Mary leant forward, bringing her head next to Dean's and whispered in his ear. Sam watched his brother's face change through emotions, a rare sight to be seen. Dean's face cracked into a world weary grin and the next few words he spoke were barely heard, "I love you Mom…"

The intensity of words forgotten died down to a whisper as Jess stepped tentatively forward. Sam's breathing stopped for a moment and he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. The last time he'd seen her… No, he didn't want to think about it. _But I need you to…_

_Jess walked through the door of hers and Sam's home for the time being while they were at Stanford. She'd been to the store to buy supplies for making cookies. She wanted to surprise Sam when he got home from helping out his brother with some home cooked cookies, the ones she knew he liked best. After all… she loved him._

_Whipping cookie batter…_

_Pouring milk…_

_Egg timer…_

_Plate…_

_Arranging freshly baked cookies…_

_Jess smiled to herself. She couldn't wait until he got home. She decided to go for a shower before he got back. He should be getting back that night. He had the interview in the morning. She stepped out of her clothes and into the shower, turning the water on full bore. As she washed, the light ahead flickered momentarily. Jess frowned, shook her head. She stepped out of the shower, palming her hair dry, drying her soaked form and slipping into a night gown. The lights flickered crazily. _

_Before she could do anything, she was thrown backwards into the bedroom wall as she stepped out of the bathroom. She felt herself slide up the wall, fear sprung through her being and it was all she could do to think about calling for Sam before her head hit the ceiling and she was dragged across. She looked down and saw a black cloaked figure, seeming to stare up at her. "Sammy…" She thought, "Where are you??"… Jess screamed as a slicing sensation ripped through her stomach. She looked back down to find no-one. _

_Sam lay down amongst the sheets, happily chewing away at a freshly baked cookie, a warm smile playing on his lips. He felt something drip down onto his forehead. He shook it off. Another drip, he opened his eyes and met a sight he never wanted to see again in his lifetime. Her last thoughts… "Sammy I love you…"_

Sam choked back a sob. Jess stepped a little closer.

"No… this can't… can't be real, y-you're dead…" Sam shook his head, as if shaking himself from a nightmare.

"But it is real… Look at me Sammy." Jess implored.

"But…"

Jess knelt down before him, placed her hands either side of his face and brought her lips to his in a tentative kiss. There could be no mistaking her. Sam melted into her arms and to his brother's surprise, pulled away and sobbed into her shoulder, muttering something about being sorry and begging for forgiveness.

"There's nothing to be sorry for."

"That's right son, this is not your fault, either of you."

"Dad?" Dean asked, "How can this be happening?"

Jess looked behind herself and up at the magnificently bright tree behind her. She stated, "The Deadwood Tree…" Mary smiled at her boys, "Miracle leaves of the forgotten…"

"But… how could we ever forget you? Any of you?"

"It's a matter of principle, Sammy, trust us…" John answered.

A chill wind ripped through the clearing, freezing the brothers to the bone and ripping into John, Mary and Jess, their forms flickering in the light of the tree. Simultaneously said, each of them uttered, "No…"

"No? No what?"

Before an answer could be given, the forms of John, Mary and Jess disintegrated before them, sucked back up to be a part of the tree once more. Sam stood first.

"NO! COME BACK!" Sam would beg if he felt the need to.

A sinister laugh reverberated around the tree and around the brothers. In glimpses of a black flash flitting around the clearing, something Sam and Dean both knew should not be here made its presence felt. It ripped through the brothers, both gasping for air. Sam's eyes rolled into the back of his head and the last thing he saw was saliva dripping from glistening white teeth. Dean struggled against the unwanted presence, reaching desperately for the bottle of holy water deep in his pant pocket. His fingers slipped around it before he clutched it in his clammy hands. The creature appeared in his face as Dean bit off the cap and splashed the holy water into its face, momentarily blinding it.

"SAM!" Dean looked over to Sam, writhing on the ground, "No… no, no, no…"

Dean wasted no time, he gathered Sam as best he could into his arms, took one last longing look at the brilliant tree still shining stark against the dark sky and ran for his own and his brother's lives.

TBC…

A/N: Okay… next chapter wont be up until the weekend… I know it's a short one, but believe me, it's all relevant… Enjoy… Click that little review button and let me know what you think...


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And parts of this chapter may be a little, erm… suggestive, hence the rating of **M** – I couldn't wait! So here's Chapter Three…

As per usual, still don't own Supernatural… darn it

_**The Deadwood Tree and Miracle Leaves of the Forgotten**_

_**Chapter Three**_

Dean lugged Sam through the trees as fast as he could. But with an over six foot brother, taller than Dean himself, it was proving to be very difficult.

"Goddammit, you know you could like, gimme a hand here?!" Dean threw out in frustration.

Dean almost lost his footing over a loose log in the path, yet it was enough to loosen his grip on Sam, sending Sam careening into a nearby tree. Dean cringed as he watched Sam slump to the ground before snapping back into action. He wound an arm around his brother's waist and half dragged half carried him out of the trees and to the impala.

As he sat down in the driver's seat, he let out a huge sigh of relief. He gunned the engine, cast the trees behind him a longing glance, remembering **the Deadwood Tree**.

Dean steadied Sam in his grip, struggled to get the key out of his pocket and fumbled unlocking the door. He cussed and tried again, hearing the resounding click of the door opening. He dragged Sam through the door and flopped his huge brother down onto one of their beds. Dean fell back onto the other and shuffled around so he was facing the still unconscious form of his brother. He was breathing, and had a heartbeat and that was all Dean wanted to worry about for the time being as his thoughts dragged him back to that tree.

"Jesus Sammy… how good was it to see Mom and Dad again?... And Jess… fuck me Sammy…" Dean spoke to his brother as if he were awake, he ran a hand through his hair, "Oh eww, not literally but seriously… damn! Last time I ever talked to M-… Mom or… Dad…hell I don't want to even think about it. Huh… I get why only so many people can see the tree, it'd be a fuckin landmark for sure if everyone could see it…"

A groan came from the other bed followed by an almost whispered, "What in god's name are you talkin' about…"

"Sammy?!"

"The one and only…"

"Sammy – you're alright?"

Sam sat up in bed, bringing a hand to clutch the side of his head where a deep purple bruise was blossoming. He winced in pain and took his hand away, opting to lie back down again.

"What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Uhhh… well the last I remember was teeth."

"Teeth? Teeth that fell out you wanted to give to the Tooth Fairy for extra cash?"

Sam rolled his eyes, "No – the teeth of that demon or whatever it is, dripping with saliva… and then black."

"Yeah… one fugly son of a bitch that one is. I kinda backed it off long enough so I could grab you and make a run for it."

"You made a run for it? Wow, what have you done with my brother?"

"Har Har, Sammy laugh it up – no, I ran because you were twitchin' like crazy and I... well… didn't wanna take any chances…"

"What the hell is this thing?"

"I don't really know…"

"Jess…"

"Yeah…"

"And Mom…"

"And Dad…"

"What did they say the tree was called again?"

"The Deadwood Tree, and uhh…"

"…Miracle Leaves of the Forgotten?"

"Yeah."

"What does that mean?"

Dean shrugged.

"I thought we were here for 8 missing people."

"Yeah I thought so too… but that demon… you know they may all be connected."

"So what do we do?"

"We check out what everyone was doing the day they went missing."

---

"Hi, I'm Roger and this is Ramjet," Dean held up a hand to stop a burly man from pummeling the shit out of him, grinned and composed himself again, "I'm sorry, couldn't resist – no this is Dick – we're here to ask you a few questions about your Wife…"

"I don't want no questions, fuck off."

"Whoa, hold up – I just wanna know what she was doing the day she went missing, there's still the possibility that she's still alive. Can you help us… please?"

"She got her hair done and walked home alright, only she didn't get that far – now I don't know what you're fuckin' talking about because for all I know, my wife is dead, now leave me the **fuck** alone."

Dean had the door slammed in his face.

"Well that man was a real charmer… Asshole…"

---

"Hey… I'm Mike, this is Jonah, can we possibly ask you a few questions about your daughter?"

"Of course, please, come inside…" The woman led the brothers into her house. Sam nudged Dean on the way in, grinning. Dean elbowed Sam in the side. Sam fought the urge to laugh.

"Take a seat, please."

The brothers sat, hands twiddling and looking around the place.

"So, what would you like to know?" The woman smiled warmly at Sam.

"Well it'd be really helpful if we could possibly find out what your daughter was doing the day she went missing."

"You mean the day she died… but okay if it makes any difference… She was working at the coffee shop down the road and finished her shift, she just… didn't make it home I guess…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Oh, no need to apologize dear, 'twasn't your fault."

"Well thankyou for your time…"

"My pleasure."

---

"Hi, I'm Tom and this is Jerry, could we ask you some questions about your boyfriend?"

"What the fuck do you wanna know about my dead boyfriend?"

"We'd uhh… just like to know what he was doing the day he… uh, died?"

"What difference does that make? Everyone knows he's dead."

Sam interjected, "But do you really believe that?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Tell me, did they find a body?"

"No, but everyone says they're all dead… But if you must know he was out walking his dog and never came home. Can I like, go now?"

"Sure."

"_Losers…"_

---

"Hi I'm Simon and this is - "

"Lemme guess, Garfunkel?"

"How'd you…?"

"Heard a couple o' fuckwits were goin around the town askin dumb questions."

"Ah."

"She was heading home from the shops, arms full of groceries, never got the groceries…"

"Or your girlfriend?"

"Yeah her too."

"Right, thanks for your time."

"Whatever…" Another door slammed.

"Is this town full of asswipes or am I just an asswipe magnet with a neon sign blinking "CALLING ALL ASSWIPES"?"

---

"Batman and Robin right?"

"Nooooo… I'm Spiderman and this is Mary Jane." Dean quipped, dripping sarcasm.

"Fuck you Dean."

"Backatchya – look, can you answer the question seemingly everyone knows about by now??"

"He was heading home from a run – didn't make it."

"Thanks."

The girl laughed as she shut her door on Sam and Dean.

---

"Are you fucking kidding me? That waitress' cousin went missing?"

"Yup – 'fraid so… prepare to ham it up."

"Aww man…"

Sam knocked on Michaela's door.

"Hey Sammy!"

"Hey Michaela..."

"Aww Deano – how're you doing big boy??"

"LOVE colour!" Dean drawled.

"He's so adorable!"

"Yeah I know… Hey, can you answer some questions for me?" Sam interjected.

"Sure thing, wanna come inside?"

"No I'm fine thanks, we've gotta talk to more people as well… Can you tell me what your cousin was doing the day he went missing?"

"Ohh that… he was down at the local pub, or so we all think he was and he just didn't make it back…"

"Right…"

"I had fun the other day…" Michaela grinned and crooked a leg at the frame of the front door, making her skirt slide a little higher, Dean "accidentally" hit Sam in the ribs, Michaela gasped.

"Dean! No! You don't do that to your brother!"

"Me sowwy…" Dean put on his best puppy dog look, trying to imitate Sam whenever he used it.

"Awwww… he's so cute! How can you ever stay mad at the adorable little pout?" Michaela was starting to really get on Dean's nerves.

"Yeah well, like I said, we gotta talk to more people…"

"Oh, sure thing! Gimme a call sometime Sammy."

"Sure."

---

"Gimme a call sometime Sammy… He's so cute! Adooooooooor – fucking - able pout! Shove the fucking baby talk up her ass!!"

"Just because I finally get to talking to a girl doesn't mean you can automatically talk shit about her."

"Oh, yes it does, you're my little brother and I have the right to bag your women."

"You bagged Jess?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "You're an idiot."

"And you really are an asswipe – can you turn down the wattage, your neon is blinding me."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

"So… you admit to doing her then?"

"Next person is Mary…"

---

"Hi I'm Brad and this is - "

"The pits…" Dean interjected.

"Excuse me?" Mary asked incredulously.

"A lovely home you've got here Ma'am! Can we ask you some questions?" Dean corrected himself.

"Okay…"

Sam took over, "Can you tell me what your husband was doing the day he went missing?"

"My poor Ronald… he was heading to the bank early in the morning… but… never made it home…"

"I'm sorry, it must be hard on you…"

"It's alright dear…"

---

"Okay if there's another angry person on the other side of this door, I'm calling it quits and leaving hunting for good to open up a chocolate shop."

"Serious?"

"Serious."

Sam knocked on the door, answered by a tall man wearing bike leathers, Dean gave Sam a dubious look.

"Ohh Hi! You must be the strippers I ordered! Come in, Come in!"

"Uhhhh, sorry to burst your little… uh bubble there Mr…?" Dean asked.

"Tiny! Just call me Tiny."

"Tiny… Uhhh, it was your…?"

"Boyfriend that went missing yes if that's what your asking."

"Actually yes it is… We were wondering if you could tell us what he was doing the day he went missing?"

"Oh that day he was just going to the adult shop to restock our lube supply, we were running a little low and uhh… a little - "

"THANKS, yeah uh sorry, I have mild turrets syndrome, I YELL A LOT, so he went MISSING on the way BACK FROM buying your err… supply?"

"Sure did… Oh I miss his ass…"

"Tee, Em.. I, Thanks for your time!"

"Are you sure you're not my strippers?"

"Uhh YEAH we're SURE!"

"Aww.. damn, you two are smokin' hot too…"

"THANKS… BYE!"

"Nice fellows…"

TBC…

A/N: Next chapter should be up Sunday night... hit the review button and let me know if you enjoyed it! Or otherwise if you thought I went a bit overboard... either way, I wanna hear what you guys think! Am I getting it right or wrong?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: The usual disclaimer – don't own _Supernatural_, own the idea. Kudos Kripke.

Shout out to all the people supporting this story – AyJay, dean-bean007, HirundoRustica and Shirlzstur for reviewing – I very much appreciate your feedback so **THANKYOU **SO MUCH! This one's for you guys…

_**The Deadwood Tree and Miracle Leaves of the Forgotten**_

_**Chapter Four**_

Dean fell back onto the worn out sofa in front of the small television set in their motel room. Sam grabbed a pen and paper and started scratching away with the pen, marking off various things, Dean appearing more frustrated by the second.

"Why the HELL is it that I always gotta ask the freaks who have to threaten my life in one way or another?" Dean asked, aiming the question to no-one in particular.

"Did Tiny really look life threatening?"

"To me he did!" Dean shifted uncomfortably on the couch, a pained expression clear on his face.

"Yeah, to your ass maybe…" Sam snickered.

"Exactly! Geez, what kind of town did we get ourselves into?? It feels like freak city!"

"That old lady was nice."

"Yeah, only I wasn't the one questioning her, _you_ were!"

"What can I say? I'm just a charmer."

"In your dreams, prince charming."

"Okay, I've got it all laid out. They all pretty much went missing in or around the same place, all walking down the same stretch of road. One was coming home from getting her hair done, another was heading home from her job at the coffee shop, another was on a run with his dog, a woman coming home from the grocery store, Another man running, one either going to or from the pub, A husband making a trip to the bank either not getting there or not getting home and Tiny's boyfriend making a… uhh… trip to the adult shop. That's eight people ranging from 19 to about 50 years of age. All fairly random, what the hell do they have in common??"

"Better yet, where the hell do we go from here??"

"Guess we better check out that stretch of road, see if there aren't any signs of the demon."

* * *

The impala made a stop beside the side walk of the main road in the small town out in the middle of nowhere. As Dean killed the engine he took a good look up and down the street, not sure what to look for but keeping an eye out for anything looking suspicious. Sam stepped out of the car and made his way around to the back, popping the boot and grabbing out one of their EMFs. Dean paced the sidewalk. 

No wonder this was a good spot to disappear in this town. On the opposite side of the road ran the woods of the reserve. On their side of the road towered a couple of buildings, the rest of the road was lined with small boutiques selling all odds and ends. Dean turned to Sam,

"Oi – You start down that end, I'll start down this end and we meet in the middle, 'kay?"

"Right."

They went their separate directions, keeping their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, casting quick checking glances over the sidewalk, looking people up and down and peering into shop windows.

* * *

Sam reached the end of the road and turned around. He whipped out the EMF and switched it on, the EMF purring softly in his large hands. He swung his hand slowly from side to side, keeping part of his focus on the EMF in his hand, but also focusing on his surroundings. The first shop on the corner of the road was a deli, how cliché. He waved the EMF in the door of the deli receiving no signal. Sam moved on.

* * *

Dean reached his end of the road and made an about turn. He pulled out his homemade EMF and grinned at his own skill. He plugged the ear phones in and switched it on, it crackled in response. The first store he came across sold antiques. He made a quick observation of the store, waving his EMF around and receiving no signal, he quickly moved onto the next store. Antique shops, art stores, mirror retail stores – they all freaked him out in one way or another, remembering Bloody Mary and that little hell spawn in the painting wielding that barber's knife.

* * *

Sam kept his eyes on the ground, barely noticing the people walking around him going about their daily lives. People exchanged friendly hellos, others exchanged mere glances, and a lot of them conformed to the selection of people they had interviewed earlier. For a small town, there was certainly a whole lot of variety. Sam continued down the road, waving his EMF randomly around, earning a few hard stares from people. He stopped in the middle of the path, almost getting hit from behind by someone walking behind him. The person shot an ugly stare back at Sam and flipped him the finger. Sam shrugged the reaction off and knelt down slowly to get a better look at the side walk. 

He ran a finger over a smouldering black mark, collecting residue on the tip of his finger. He brought it up to his face and sniffed it, sulfur. The mark of a demonic presence. At that point in time, a young man riding a skateboard whizzed past Sam, nearly knocking him face first into the pavement, screeching around the corner, long black marks trailing the pavement behind him. Sam got up again and inspected those tracks to compare with the ones he found. It was a different texture, burnt rubber for sure and not quite as concerning as the other mark he'd found. He had half a mind to say someone was stolen from that very spot. Just, who?

Dean was having just as much luck as Sam was, he came across some residue marking the base of a lamppost. He ran his finger through it much the same as Sam had done and brought it to his nose for inspection. Sulfur. It confirmed his worries.

* * *

Sam and Dean reconvened half an hour later, having come across another three more spots along the road that were marked by the same residue each. If anything was to be confirmed, it was that the town's street sweeper wasn't doing a very good job and they should consider sacking the slack bastard, but it was all Sam and Dean needed. There was one more thing they had to check with though, the dog one of the people that had gone missing was running with. They'd have to go back to that girl and ask a few more questions.

* * *

"Hi, can we talk a bit more about your boyfriend?" 

"No." Came the simple answer as the door slammed in their faces.

"Well that just proves what a nice, sweet, homely girl the bitch is on the other side of this door." Dean stated matter of factly.

The door opened as fast as it had been slammed mere seconds ago.

"I aint a bitch! **You're** the bitch."

"No… my brother Sam's the bitch – Me on the other hand, well I don't like to brag but, I'm the nice brother, so if you say I'm a bitch to deal with, then think of what princess behind me is like." Dean leaned a little more forward so he could whisper out of earshot of Sam, "He's pissy when he's pms'ing."

"What do you wanna know? And could you hurry please??? I'm missing an ep of Gilmore Girls."

"You watch what now?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Oh yeah, well, I only watch for that Dean guy, he's hot… you know… you kinda remind me of him a bit." She cocked her head and gave Sam the once over, Dean cleared his throat rather loudly.

"We were wondering what happened to your boyfriend's dog??"

"Oh, he's here, he made it home at least, Robin didn't…"

"You mind if we borrow your dog for, oh, half an hour to check a few things over?"

"Uhhhhh… okaaaay…" She turned back into the house and preceded to yell at the top of her lungs, "FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look as a huge pit-bull came bounding around a corner and for the girl. Fido pounced on the girl and licked her repeatedly. Dean scrunched his face up and muttered something about dog slobber. Fido looked up to Sam and Dean and snarled at them. The girl managed to pick herself up again and looked pointedly at the brothers.

"What a nice doggie you have there, can I pet 'im?" Dean slapped on a fake smile.

"If you want your hand bitten off that's fine by me."

Dean stepped back.

"Here, we'll be back soon with er… Fido." Sam stepped forward as the girl fixed a leash to Fido's collar and handed the handle to Sam. Sam grabbed hold of the leash just in time to be dragged from the front doorway and into the street. She laughed at their retreating backs.

* * *

Sam struggled keeping Fido in check while Dean walked a little behind, snickering behind Sam's back as they headed back to that stretch of road. As they rounded the corner Fido seemingly calmed down, which was impressive seeing how the dog had already tried to gnaw at Sam's ankles and run laps around the block. Sam aimed to walk down the road but was met with tension of the leash. He yanked at the leash, trying to get Fido to follow him, to no avail. Dean tsked and took the handle from Sam and try as he might, he couldn't get Fido to budge. 

Dean had an idea. He reached into his pocket and dragged out a chocolate bar, attempting to bribe the dog down the road. It worked until about half way down the street. Fido turned to the woodsy reserve across the street, his ears flattening against his head and his tail slowly curling underneath. Fido whimpered. Sam and Dean looked at each other, thinking the same thing they made to take Fido across the road and closer to the reserve. They struggled and struggled until they got him to the other side as everything went completely silent.

No sounds were heard from the other side of the road, not from the people walking along in front of the stores, no music coming from the stores or bells as people entered. Everything went eerily silent which did nothing for the brothers except confirm the presence of the being that had interrupted a supernatural family reunion the other day. Fido yelped its tail quivering between his legs and its ears stuck flat to its skull. A growl formed deep in Fido's throat, growing louder and louder by the second. Sam and Dean focused their attention on the woods before them. Fido gave a long loud growl before yanking at Sam's grip on the leash and running for the safety of his home. A chill wind ripped across the road as time seemed to stall for a moment or two. The wind stopped dead as time and space seemed to stop. That same sinister snicker flickered across their senses and before either hunter knew, both collapsed.

TBC…

**A/N**: So… what do you think? Only way to let me know is by clicking that little button below and submitting a review… I'd fully appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Thanks again go to dean-bean007 and AyJay for their reviews on my last chapter – thanks guys! Glad to know you're still following my insanity… bug-eyed

_**Warning**_: Some parts (especially towards the end of this chapter) are quite graphic – so, proceed with a strong stomach… evil grin

**Disclaimer**: Again – don't own Supernatural – own the idea though.

_**The Deadwood Tree and Miracle Leaves of the Forgotten**_

_**Chapter Five**_

An acrid burning smell wafted through the air, reaching the nostrils of two unconscious forms held up by ropes bound to their hands, bound to the arms of the Deadwood Tree. The air was thick with smog in the hazy afternoon twilight.

Hanging from another part of the tree was a young girl, her blonde locks tumbling down her shoulders, eyelids delicately closed, hands bound together, bruised. Her skirt was ripped up the length of her thigh and her once crisp white shirt was torn at the bust. Her chest heaved lightly as she gently swayed in the evening breeze.

Sam began to rouse. His heavy lidded eyes opened up to his surroundings and it took him a moment or two to remember what had happened. A vision of Fido running from him and his brother came to mind, it went hazy from there. With sudden realization he snapped his head around and called out for his brother,

"DEAN!"

He turned his head the other way and found Dean tied up much the same as he was, still unconscious. Sam cussed and swore to kill the son of a bitch that had ambushed them. He noticed the unruly bruise that purpled the skin of Dean's forehead and cussed louder. Sam heard a faint moaning from behind him and struggled to turn the other way, where he noticed that they weren't exactly alone.

She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to her surroundings before letting out an ear piercing scream. The volume of it should have woken the dead from the next town over, yet Dean remained unconscious. Her wild blue eyes darted from left to right, looking for somewhere familiar, when she saw Sam looking at her she screamed louder if at all possible. Sam tried to calm her down,

"Hey! Listen! Quiet!"

She kept screaming.

"If you keep screaming that thing'll come back and likely KILL US ALL!"

She stopped screaming, her chest heaving trying to get her breath back.

"What's your name?"

"What's it to you?"

"I'm Sam – my brother behind me is Dean."

"Kaylee."

"Nice to meet you Kaylee."

"Riiight considering where we are right now, it's awesome to meet you too you freak."

"What were you doing before you woke up just now?"

"Walking down the main road across from the reserve, why?"

"Shit…"

"What?"

"Uhh, nothing – just… we need to get out of here."

"Ya think?"

Sam ignored her comment and looked up to the ropes that bound his wrists. He tried wriggling a hand free but it was no use, the further he dragged his hand through the binds, the deeper it cut into the skin of his hands. He let out a frustrated sigh and turned his attention to Dean. Apart from the bruising of his forehead, there didn't seem to be anything else potentially worrying. The one thing Sam had to worry about was how in God's good name were they going to get out of this alive?

"Any progress on the escape plan, Houdini?"

"I'm workin' on it."

"Looks like a whole lotta nothin' to me."

"You got a better suggestion? Apart from wait till that thing gets here?"

"Uhh no… and another thing – what _is_ this "thing" you keep referring to? Obviously some sick psychopath has done this – I mean what else could it be?"

"Oh you wouldn't believe it even if I tried explaining it to you. You'd think I'm about as crazy as a psychopath myself."

"Like I don't already."

"Demon."

"Excuse me?"

"That's what's got us here, a demon. Just what I don't know but it's definitely dangerous…"

"Are you kidding me? You don't really believe in all that other worldly bullshit do you?"

"Uhh, I kinda… uhm how do I put this,** hunt** demons?"

"Riiiight, and you think you're not fucked up in the head."

That familiar chill wind crept through the clearing and embedded itself deep into Sam, Dean and Kaylee's bones.

"Too late."

The clouds above grew darker and more condensed as the sun dipped below the horizon. A lithe black form flitted across their lines of vision as the cackle sounded around them.

"What the hell was that?!" Kaylee was on the verge of screaming again.

"Stay calm!"

"**You **stay calm!"

Sam felt a rush of air whoosh past his back, sending him swaying in its wake. Sam struggled to keep the motion of his swinging from glancing a touch of the tree's trunk behind him. It was heading for Kaylee.

Sam nearly jumped out of his skin when it appeared in front of him, millimeters from touching his face. It sneered and bared its teeth. It reminded him of a Wendigo, but it couldn't be – the colour of its skin wasn't right and its teeth were mighty large for a Wendigo. Sam had the feeling that this was a true demon, it wasn't once a human being. Sam tried something. He flung his feet up to kick the demon square in the chest, sending it stumbling backwards to touch the tree. Before it hit the tree it regained its balance, seeming to avoid touching the bark as much as Sam had been doing. Something was odd. Before Sam knew, the demon launched itself at Sam, sinking its teeth into the meat of his thigh. Sam groaned in pain. Kaylee screamed. The demon let Sam from its grip and turned towards the source of screaming. It seemingly licked its lips in delight, its black tongue darting out, sliding over its now bloodied teeth. Sam hissed at the pain in his thigh.

Kaylee's eyes widened in shock as she clamped her mouth shut. If it hadn't have been for her screaming, the demon would still be focused on Sam. It advanced on her, running its eyes up and down her body. She shuddered in disgust. It then moved with great speed, appearing to grab Kaylee from behind, winding its hands around her waist. Kaylee whimpered in response, trying to look over to Sam for help as its fingers dug welts into the skin of her stomach. Sam couldn't help but watch as it tortured Kaylee. He flinched as it snapped her head back to look at it. Kaylee let out a blood curdling scream as its hand ripped through the skin of her stomach, ripping upwards to her chest, blood spilling freely and fast from her insides. It toyed with her bloodied torso, squeezing her heart as her last scream died on her lips. Her heart burst in its hands and it savored in the feeling.

"SONOFABITCH!" Came a shout from behind Sam.

**TBC…**

**A/N**: Short chapter, but very important… Mwahahaha… Okay – thoughts? Anyone? Reviews greatly appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: This will be the final chapter… if anyone has any ideas on where the brothers should go from here, let me know and I'll make sure to tell them next time they come to visit me.

Thankyou to everyone who's supported the story so far, you know who you are, it's hugely appreciated!

_**The Deadwood Tree and Miracle Leaves of the Forgotten**_

_**Chapter Six**_

_Kaylee let out a blood curdling scream as its hand ripped through the skin of her stomach, ripping up to her chest, blood spilling freely and fast from her insides. It toyed with her bloodied torso, squeezing her heart as her last scream died on her lips. Her heart burst in its hands and it savored the feeling._

"_SONOFABITCH!" Came a shout from behind Sam._

Sam whipped his head around to the source of the noise finding Dean wide eyed and struggling against the binds around his wrists. They watched in horror as the demon reduced what was once Kaylee to a bloodied mess at their feet. Sam dry retched, Dean almost gagged. The demon grinned nastily.

"We need to get out of here…" Dean whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"Ya think? How're we gonna do that?" Sam replied.

"Gimme a sec, I'm workin' on it… You still have that knife in your pocket?"

"Yeah but what good's that gonna do when our hands are tied? Hmm?"

Dean ignored that last comment, making an attempt to wriggle one of his hands free. He dragged his hand further through the binds, attempting to widen the knot before trying to bring it down back through, he tugged and pulled and eventually resorted to digging his nails into the rope. The demon circled them, watching Dean make his attempt at escape, grinning in such a way it almost mocked Dean. Dean tugged with a new force as he brought his hand through the rope, the demon made to lunge at Dean. Sam literally swung into action, bringing himself closer to Dean, close enough to jab out with his feet, knocking the demon square in the chest whilst Dean used his now free hand to reach into Sam's pocket for the knife. The demon stumbled back, regaining his balance fast. It looked up and into Dean's smirk.

Dean hung by one hand, the knife poised in the other, daring the demon to come closer with the look he had on his face. The demon stood to its full height, towering over the both of them and it was only then that either of them could take a really good look at what they were dealing with.

It stood at a good 7ft tall, towering over Sam whose feet still didn't touch the ground. Its body wound around its nimble frame, the skin distorted and blackened with age. Deep violet eyes set into its deformed face, glistening white teeth protruded from its mouth in a wicked grin. Its limbs rippled with strong adept muscles, its fingers stretching out long and thin with long talons curling at the tips. Its tongue darted out of its mouth to lick its teeth as it cracked the joints of its fingers. It eyed Dean with malicious intent.

Dean brought the knife up and freed his other hand as the demon hurtled toward him, sending him careening backwards and inches from touching the tree behind him. Dean let out a grunt as he hit the ground, the demon on top of him, pinning his limbs to the ground, its teeth a dangerous threat that hovered in front of his face. Dean brought a leg loose and kicked the demon from him, earning him precious seconds to help free his brother as it fell backwards. With a sickening crunch, the demon was impaled upon the pointed stump of a short tree. Dean breathed a sigh as he freed Sam's other hand and brought him down. Sam swayed for a second, having been held up by his hands for some time. Sam looked from the demon to Dean and broke out into a grin.

"Salt and burn?" Sam asked.

"You betchya."

"You know something?" Sam asked again.

"What?"

"That felt way too easy."

"You're telling me." Dean agreed with a small nod of his head.

Dean reached for his zippo as Sam found the small pouch of salt he had kept in his pocket. Sam knelt over the demon and sprinkled the condiment over its body. The body twitched. Sam took a hasty step up and back from the demon. Dean looked to Sam quizzically.

"What?" Dean asked.

Before Sam had time to answer, they were interrupted by a growl from below. They turned to the growl as the demon began to rise, pulling itself up from the stump, a sickening popping sounded as it freed itself from the stump. It stood over them, grinning at them, the power it had before now returning in full force. It drew back an arm before they could react and brought it crashing into Sam, sending him hurtling back into a nearby tree, his back cracking. Dean cussed and with speed he never knew he had withdrew the gun from the back of his jeans but before he could switch the safety off the demon lunged once again at him with new vigor.

Dean was pinned beneath the demon, Sam lying meters away trying to haul himself to his feet. Sam winced in pain every time his back attempted to crack back into place. He took precious seconds to regain his composure, put on a brave face before placing his hands on his hips and stretching his back out with a loud shout of pain as it cracked into place.

In the time it took Sam to regain his composure the demon had sliced one of those talons through the flesh of Dean's stomach, brought its lips down to his body and drank from the wound. Dean laid there, twitching beneath the demon, letting out a hoarse and gurgled yell as the demon bit down. Sam stopped dead in his tracks. The shock of the sight before him numbed his mind to anything and everything. He looked at the back of the demon, hovering over _his brother. _His _brother_ bleeding and slowly dying under the demons touch. The demon sensed Sam behind it and turned a bloodied grin towards him, its deep violet eyes boring holes through Sam's soul, exactly what he needed to be propelled into action. Sam let out a violent scream as he ran towards the demon. He reached into his back pocket and brought out the .45 he kept there.

For Dean, he un-clicked the safety, for Dean he aimed the gun, for Dean he pulled the trigger and for the both of them he shot the demon.

The demon merely stepped back at the force, the bullet driving into its chest as it swiped at it like it was an annoying fly. Sam screamed again and emptied the barrel into the demon, making it retreat, making it back away from his brother. **His slowly dying brother**. Swiping at the tears that threatened to fall, Sam lunged toward the demon, aiming to bring it crashing into the Deadwood Tree with full intention of killing it with his bare hands, Sam was stopped mid lunge.

Time seemed to stand still. The wind died instantly, Sam's echoing scream dying with it. Dean's gurgled pleas for help reduced to silence. The swaying leaves stilled instantaneously and the demon's path of fall into the tree stopped before it touched. With pain that laced through his entire body, Sam breathed in a painful gulp of air as he seemed to be the only moving thing in the entire clearing. The earth shook. The sky overhead rumbled with such ferocity it threatened to burst Sam's ear drums let alone come tumbling down upon him. Waves of force pulsated through the ground at the rate of a heart over-beating. Sam had to shield his eyes as the Deadwood Tree once again came to life, towering above the bloodied scene before it as leaves sprouted with speed from the tree's large and ominous branches. Sam was brought to his knees at the sight as three familiar leaves glided through the air down to the ground, his Mother, Father and late girlfriend, Jess, materializing before his eyes.

The look of urgency in their eyes was unmistakable as Jess raced over to Sam, wrenching him up from his feet. John took Sam by the shoulders, looking deep into his eyes and shook every word that came from his mouth into Sam.

"Your brother is dying. Our son is dying."

A rush of whispers invaded Sam's senses, clogging his mind with the fury behind them. Every word of disappointment, every remark made in spite, every let down washed over Sam. Sam wanted to fall to his knees again but his Father's strong grip wouldn't let go.

"Do you want to be a failure? Do you want to fail your brother?"

Sam couldn't bring himself to look into John's eyes. Behind him, Dean lay on the ground, in front of him the demon paused mid fall under the force of time. He brought a hand up to his face, swiping at the tears that had already stained his cheeks. He forced himself to look up to the ethereal face of his father.

"No." He answered, barely audible.

"I didn't hear you, Son."

"No." He answered firmly.

John released his death like grip on Sam's shoulders, stepping back to give him some room. Mary stepped forward. She took a look into Sam's eyes, faltering for a moment before bringing him into a desperate hug. Sam sobbed into her shoulder, the first real contact he could ever remember with his Mother, happening in this very moment. Mary leant back, examining Sam's face with a small sad smile.

"Sam. You need to listen to me. There's something you need to know, something you need to know that will save your brother, save my son." Mary paused, catching her breath, looking Sam in the eyes. "Sam this demon, the demon behind us – it's nothing you've ever come across before. The reason being is this is a demon that should be confined to the outer reaches of hell guarding the river of Hades."

"But… Mom? How - " Sam tried to ask, John interjected,

"Let your Mother finish."

Sam nodded.

"Sam he watches as the souls drift into Hell as people die. This demon escaped the clutches of the place, emerging here, right at this very spot. This tree Sam, is a marker for its escape point. Sam – this tree, the leaves you see up there?" Mary waved a hand gesturing the leaves, "They're souls this demon has collected, he has no right to be in this realm. I'm sure you've already noticed that it feeds from humanity."

Sam whispered, "_Kaylee…_"

"Yes, Sam. People who come across this tree, the people who can see the tree are connected to the souls this demon has collected."

"But, what about you?"

"We're here because you're here. Sammy – you're not exactly the most unnoticeable person – neither is Dean, we're here because the demon wants us to be here." Jess answered him.

"Then how do I know this isn't some trick? This isn't some trick of my mind?" Sam stepped back.

"You have to trust what's in here son, do you really think we're gonna be telling you the way to kill this demon if it were a trick?" John asked of his son.

"Well… no… I don't…" Sam trailed off, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts.

"Sam the demon's tied to the tree – the spot marking its escape point from hell – the tree grew here by its will. You need to destroy the tree, and that means losing this link to us." Mary bluntly revealed.

Silence washed over them as Sam let it sink in just what he had to do.

"You destroy the tree before Dean dies; you destroy the link the demon has made between him and the demon. Once the demon feeds from you, you're tied to it and automatically are tied to the tree. If you break that bond, well… you save yourself. There's something about it that makes a human's death much quicker, much more painful, that's what it wants. Destroying the tree means keeping Dean alive. You have to do it." John explained.

"But, what about you?"

"There's nothing you can do for us, our time has come and gone, we're gone. Dean you can still save now go do it before I have to resort to something drastic and lose my size 12s up your ass." John quipped.

Sam gave a small smile. A unified "_I love you_" sounded as they disappeared before Sam's eyes. Sam gave a small squeak before setting into action as time slowly returned. Sam raced toward the demon, kicking it square into the chest, sending it careening into the tree. As soon as it touched the tree it let out a horrible scream of agony, its body twisting and burning. Sam took this opportunity to make a dashed grab for the salt, throwing it over the tree. He searched his pockets for a match, zippo, anything, realizing he had none. He whipped his head around to Dean who was hiccupping blood. Sam raced over to him. Sam knelt down beside his brother and gave him a small smile,

"You're gonna be alright Dean…"

Even on death's door Dean delivered a flawless trademark smirk, wincing in pain. Sam slipped the zippo from Dean's grasp, flicked the switch, a small flame erupting at his fingertips. With a look of determination set into his face, he marched toward the tree. Casting one last glance up toward the branches of the tree, he threw the flame into the demon, igniting both demon and tree.

The demon screeched in fury, bubbling away to a rotting mess as the flames licked up the dry bark of the tree, charring its already blackened features, soon reducing it to smouldering ash.

A struggled gasp of breath brought Sam back to his senses. Sam raced back over to Dean, ignoring his own injuries and looked warily over his brother. Dean smiled up at Sam.

"Sammy…" He whispered, Sam leant a little closer, "Ever… told ya I love ya?"

Sam choked as Dean fell limp in his arms.

"NOYOUSONOFABITCH!"

Sam was too absorbed in the pain of it all, Dean appearing to be dead in his arms that he didn't notice the change. As the demon's salted ashes blew away in the wind the wounds of Dean's stomach slowly began to stitch back together, Dean's heartbeat returned, better yet, returned to normal and the colour returned to his face, blood still on his lips. Sam sobbed into Dean's shoulder and pounded a fist into Dean's chest, earning him a surprised grunt from Dean. Sam almost dropped Dean back onto the ground. His eyes wide in wonder, shock.

* * *

As they drove down the main road of the desolate town, the brothers could confirm the fears of the townspeople. The 8 missing people certainly were dead, if their experience was anything to go by then they'd be dead without a trace. Sam vowed never to let Dean scare him so badly like that ever again. Dean drove around the corner, the diner just in view and a waving Michaela stood outside, smiling. Sam shook his head and smiled, wound down the window and waved back. Dean punched him in the arm, for his injuries had gone the moment the demon had gone. For some reason neither of them knew why but Sam needed stitches to his thigh where it had bitten him, the whole injury healing business must only have applied to Dean as he was closer to death than Sam had been. Sam turned to his brother and smiled.

"Dude! You're so dead!" Dean shouted, banging a fist on the dashboard.

"Alright, alright, seeing how we're leaving now and we're not likely to see her ever again – I did not do her."

"Bullshit."

"She came onto me, said "_Guys like you turn me on_" and before I knew it her clothes were gone and she was all over me. I turned her down."

"You serious??"

"Yeah I'm serious."

"Dude, that's like… gotta be the gayest thing you've ever done – you don't turn a willing woman down!"

Sam gave an incredulous snort and settled himself into the seat as they drove on their way to a new job.

**THE END**

**A/N**: And that's it! Let me know what you guys think! Hit the review button! XD has some ideas for next story... _maybe_


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